D58 adjusts school calendar for snow days

Downers Grove's elementary school students could stay in school three days longer after the district canceled several days of classes in January because of extreme weather.

Grade School District 58 officials tentatively have revised this year's school calendar to push the last day of school from Friday, June 6 to Wednesday, June 11.

Supt. Kari Cremascoli said three of the four canceled school days last month will be made up with student attendance half-days, and the fourth will be a staff work day. The eighth-grade promotion would still be on June 10.

"Our staff can maximize the time with students while we have them and minimize the time teachers will be out of class, especially in that last month of school," Cremascoli said.

Cremascoli said staff considered using some planned holidays to make up the missed school, but thought that would prove a hardship to parents who were not planning to have their kids in school on those days. She also said that in adjusting the calendar, officials are trying not to keep students in school too long during the hot weather.

"We're also very sensitive to the fact that most of schools do not have air conditioning," Cremascoli told the board. "So the later we go into June, the more difficult it gets to teach."

The board also got a look at a draft of next year's calendar, which eliminates Presidents Day and Pulaski Day as days off for students and would end school earlier with a half day on May 29.

Board Member John Miller questioned the district's use of half days.

"If we really are talking about putting kids first, you put kids first, have them there all day, and have teacher training time on days when children are not in attendance." Miller said. "There are plenty of days to stretch the calendar so we do not have to have any half days."

"We do find that those half-days really do provide opportunities for staff, just the time to analyze data and collaborate with each other in the instruction that we provide the students," Cremascoli said. "It's a balancing act, and there's never really a perfect calendar."

The board will vote on the 2014-2015 calendar next month, and finalize this year's schedule in April once the weather clears and the risk of using more emergency days wanes.